Improvement in railway draw-bars and buffers



N. "B. :ECCLESTON.

RAILWAY DRAW-BARS .wn BU-FFERS. No. 180,121. I Patented July Z5; 1876.-

H. PETERS, PNOTO-UTHOGRAPKER. WAQHINGTDNRU C,

UNITED ST TES PATENT ()FFIGE.

NOYES B. EGC-LESTON, OF OXFORD, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY DRAW-BARS AND BUFFERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Noll 80,121, dated July 25, 1876; application filed I June 7, 1876. i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NoYEs B. 'EooLEsToN, of Oxford, in the county of Ohenango and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Draw-Bar, Buffer, and-Coupling for. Cars; and 1 do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referenceibeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part'of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view=of the'bottom frame of a car-body with m improvements attached. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detached View of the hooks. Y

Similar letters of reference intlie'accompanying drawings denote the same parts. My invention relates to apparatus for connecting the cars to make up a railway-train and consists of details of construction which will be fully set forth and particularly claimed in the following specification.

In the construction which I am about to ex- 7 plain I have aimed, first, to providesuch a connection for the cars of a train that the springs on the draw-bar of each car. shall sustain the weight of that car alone; second, to make the cars couple or uncouple without danger to the attendant; third, to avoid the use of pins and links; fourth, to make a strong and effective buffing, and place it in the line of greatest resistance and, fifth, to so construct and arrange the whole that a car so equipped may be used with the present draw-bars and couplings.

In Fig. ot' the drawings, a a represent the end sills of the bottom frame of a car-body, into which are tenoned the side sills b b. c c

are longitudinal timbers, also of ordinary construction. Through the perforated sill of the car is passed a rod, (1, on the outer end of which is a hook, c. This constitutes the draft-bar and coupling-hook of one end of the car. This draft-rod is made, preferably, square at the forward end and throughout the main portion, but is rounded in the rear, and passes through a yoke, f. This yoke is held by strong rods m, which pass through the ends of the yoke and back to the end sills, to which they are firmly fixed at a point near the side sills. After passing through this yoke the rod of the draw-bar extends, into a swivel, and is held therein by a nut, so as to turn-freely. Justin front of the yoke is a shoulder, made by a large nut on the draft-bar, and between it and the yoke is a spring, which is slipped upon the round part of the' barl any desired strength and amount of play.

The described apparatus is shown duplicated for each end of the car, and it will be.

observed, from the drawing, that any draft on one hook will, through the swivel, draw upon the spring on the end ofthe other draftbar. The square end of the bar not only slides freely in the end sill. but nay also turn, and is allowed some lateral .motion.

ment in the slot 00. On the outer endof saidsleeve is an arm or lever, 'l which is'conneeted to the shaft and hand-wheel by a -chai-n,- in

such a mannerthat by turning-that wheel thebar is turned, so as to bring the hook in a vertical plane, or inclined opposite to its normal position. In its normal position the hook- I I is slightly turned aside, and so held.. This is accomplished by two sprn1gs g, which are fixed at one end in the sides of the innerflongitudinal beams, and at the other to the ends of a second yoke, h, slipped over the square part of the draw-bar, and sliding thereon. The forcible turning of the bar bends these springs-one up and the other down-'-and their reaction tends to'bring the hook back 7 into its normal inclined position. The hook in the opposite draw-head .is also inclined in the opposite direction, as shown in' Fig. 3, and when the cars are brought together the hooks are held in their vertical or normal position by attendant until the hooks pass; then the attendant lets loose the pawl or ratchet, and the hooks resume their normal position and the cars are coupled. At the same time,- if it be desired not to couple the cars, the hooks, by means of the vertical rod and hand-wheel, may be .turned to a vertical position, and there held by an ordinary pawl V and ratchet, so as to prevent interlocking. The hook is also such that an ordinary link This may be of This is per- Initted by passing,jthe draw-bar through faf. sleeve, through which, longitudinally, is made,v a'square" or polygonal-hole, to suit the'bar. This sleeveis held inplace by a nut on the, inside end of sleeve; and has lateral-move-- plate of the end sill.

may be hooked over it. Ordinarily, however, as this draft-bar and its hook are in the line of greater resistance, and higher than those in common use, a bent link would be necessary for coupling one of these cars toone having the old form of coupling.

The bufl'ers in my improvement are located, like the draft, in the line of greatest resistance-that is tosay, directly upon the end of the frame, and in the same plane therewith. They consist of the strong blocks '6 i bolted to the end sills by the long rods 70 7a, or in any other suitable way. These blocks are recessed, as shown, so that a thinner part, '5, extends inwardly toward the hook. On this part is placed a buffer of metal, marked 1. It is recessed, as shown, by part broken away, and

this recess is partly filled by a spiral or ruboer spring, against which the head of a stout bolt rests. This bolt passes through the wood, and rests bythe other end against the face- 'The metal buffer is shown as securcly bolted to. the plate is, un-

derneath the wood. By this construction it will be observed that, while the bufl'ers are in the same line with the hooks or couplers, they may have ample strength and elasticity. This is attained by the thinnerwooden part, or by the spring within the metal buffer. The parts being bolted, as shown, the shock is distributed to the frame-work of thetcar.

The general operation of all the featuresof my improvement will be apparent from the description. In effect, the coupli-ngand draft bar extends, when connected, for-all purposes of draft, through .theentire train, while the spring of each car, at whatever place in :the train the car maybe, whether first or last, sustainsonly the weight of the car to which it is attached. Thedraft of each car is also upon the rear end sill, into Whiclithe side sills, are tenoned, by which all strain upon the parts and tendency to tear out are avoided. At thesa me time, while the drat't-barsflare practically continuous for their own special purpose, they are made sectional for the pur:

poses of repairsas well as of contraction, in

the buffing of the cars, by reason of the ends sliding into the swivel.

It should be noted also that the rods extending from the yokes to the end sills are attached near the side sills, and the resistance is thus thrown upon them. the sills serve to-bind all the parts securely.

I am aware that draw-bars extending through the car, and drawing the car through an independent spring, are not new, and such I do' with intermediate swivel connection, made both to slide longitudinally, and to turn, and provided on the outer ends with hooks, as and for the purposes set roan.

3. The draft-barmadeto slideand turn, in

combination with the sleeve in theend sill, having rotary movement,'and also lateral movementin the slot, as set forth.

4. Incombination with the draft-bar,"made 'to slide orrotate, the yoke h and springs connected thereto, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination withthe yoke, whichsusta'ins, th rough the springs and -draft-bar. the re! sistance ot' the car, the rodsfm attached to the end sills, as and for the purposeset forth.

6. The springbuffers, composed: of i the blocks 73 'i, recessed"on onehend, and fixed to the end sill at the other, as set forth.

7. The spring-butters, composed of the blocks it, metal heads recessed to receive the springs, and the bolts extending. back totthe face-plates,asset'tbrtha I a y p NOYES eaoonesron. Witnesses: 2 v

F.P. NEWKIRK, O. H. EcoLEsfroN.

The rods outside 

